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This Dog Died From Drinking Out Of A Puddle. The Reason? I Had No Idea

Leptospirosis is a potentially deadly disease that affects
humans and animals. The bacteria can be contracted through the urine of
livestock, wildlife, and rodents. This means that pets are susceptible when
drinking from puddles or open water, or eating dirty grass and feces. The
illness can cause kidney and liver failure, making it a severe threat
especially to small animals. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, increased
thirst and urination, fatigue, fever, and blood in the urine.

Although leptospirosis is not a new disease, new strains of it are
emerging which make its prevention more difficult. There is controversy among
veterinarians about whether or not to administer the available vaccine. The
treatment has a tendency to cause extreme side effects such as diarrhea and
vomiting which can become fatal. Not only does it have the possibility of being
deadly, the leptospirosis vaccine only kills four out six known strains of the
organism.

Other veterinarians see leptospirosis as a real danger to pets and
their owners, witnessing the disease multiple times per month in a busy
practice. These vets recommend the lepto vaccine to all dogs with exception to
those who rarely go outside. The belief is that the benefit of prevention
outweighs the risk of contracting the horrible sickness. Another reason to
diligently inhibit the disease is because it is zoonotic, meaning is passes
from animals to humans and therefore can spread from pets to owners. Currently,
it is not required that cases of leptospirosis be reported, so it us unknown
how common or uncommon it is.